


Purple and Gold

by UnhelpfulPanda



Series: JohnDave Week 2017 [6]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Derse/Prospit Royalty, Alternate Universe - No Sburb Session, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Derse and Prospit, Engagement, M/M, Mentions of assassination, Prophecy, Weddings, bro is not canon abusive bro just an awkward king who tries not to speak because it ruins his image, dad and mom get married, dave and john don't get married in this fic, implied Dirk/Jake - Freeform, implied jade/karkat, meddlesome witches and seers, minor dad/mom, the sequel is where they get married!, they don't do anything though so the warning is kinda moot, underage warning because they are underage until the last chapter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2017-07-10
Packaged: 2018-11-30 05:14:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11456721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnhelpfulPanda/pseuds/UnhelpfulPanda
Summary: The young prince of Prospit met the youngest prince of Derse for the first time when he was four years old, at a banquet to celebrate the coronation of the new king of Derse. The more times they meet, the closer they become, as Derse's Seer foretold after their very first meeting. But does her prophecy hold any real merit, or is it just a coincidence that the Prospit prince can't seem to stay away from the red eyed Derse prince?(Johndave week 2017, day 7, "Prospit and Derse")





	1. Four Years Old

**Author's Note:**

> Johndave week 2017, day 7: "Prospit and Derse"
> 
> I'm chopping this up into chapters because of the timeskips.
> 
> Just a warning, Bro Strider is named Ambrose in this, Mom Lalonde is Rowena, and Dad Egbert is James

            You are four years old when you meet for the first time.

            Your father, the king of Prospit, had invited the royal family of Derse to a banquet to celebrate the new king of Derse's coronation after his parents, the previous king and queen, had been assassinated.

            The new king was only sixteen, much too young to be ruling a kingdom in your father's opinion. He also had two younger brothers, around your and your sister's ages, and his father's mistress and her two daughters were visiting as well. According to your father, the mistress was an old fling of the deceased king who became a close friend of the family. One of her daughters had just begun to show signs of future sight, kind of like Jade! Your father took in Jake and Jade, when Jade began to show an affinity for magic. He adopted her and her older brother from the orphanage to keep an eye on her, and in the future she will probably be Prospit's official witch!

            You've gotten off topic, the point is you were going to have kids your age around! Besides Jade, of course. You knew you would _still_ be the youngest kid there, anyways, but it was still exciting. Jane was excited to have a girl her age coming to visit, because Jade was a bit too young for her to play with like she wanted to. Besides, Jade wasn't very in to girly things.

 

            The only downside to the banquet was that you had to wear your nicest clothing, gold and yellow robes that were itchy and tight. Jake liked them even less than you, but you had to admit Jane and Jade looked stunning in their dresses. Jane even wore her nice golden earrings that dangled from her ears. A guard entered the throne room to announce the Royal Derse Family had arrived, and your father stood and waited to welcome them.

            The new Derse king entered first, a regal looking young blonde man with piercing golden eyes, freckles on his pale cheeks, and dressed in pink, purple, and white robes. On his arm was a beautiful older blonde woman, wearing short pink dress that matched her eyes and having her lips painted midnight black. You glanced up at your father as he took in a sharp breath, eyes on the woman you assumed was the late Derse king's mistress. His cheeks were pink and you stifled a giggle. He thought she was beautiful, too!

            Behind him was the eight year old prince, wearing clothes similar to Jake's except for in the Derse colors and with poofier pants. He had orange eyes and more freckles on his cheeks than the king, his face devoid of emotion to offset the more enthusiastic young girl on his arm. She looked strikingly similar to her mother, down to the black painted lips and dress, only hers was paired with purple tights. She also had streaks of pink in her wavy blonde hair.

            Even farther behind them was two small kids your age. The girl had long purple dress on that was a bit too long on her and threatened to trip her if she wasn't careful. She had lilac eyes that were narrowed at the boy beside her as she whispered fiercely to him and pulled him along by the hand. The boy, with almost white blonde hair and practically more freckles than regular pale skin, was mumbling back to her, his own red eyes trained on the floor in front of him. He was wearing clothes that matched yours, only in the Derse colors, and a dark red cape that clashed horribly with the rest of his clothes. He had the fabric balled up in his free hand, and you wondered to yourself if that was what he was being scolded for.

            Your attention snapped back to your father when he cleared his throat and spoke. "Welcome, King Ambrose of Derse," he greeted, bowing slightly to the young king, who returned the gesture silently. Your father held out his hand for the woman, who placed her hand in his and allowed him to kiss the back of her hand chivalrously. "And welcome to you too, Lady Lalonde," he added with a smile.

            The woman giggled. "King James of Prospit, kissing my hand? Please, call me Rowena," she replied, smiling. She glanced at Ambrose and rolled her eyes. "Don't mind Ambrose; he hasn't been very chatty lately," she explained.

            Your dad nodded solemnly. "I understand completely. I'm very sorry for your loss," he told King Ambrose. The younger man just shrugged, and your dad gestured to you and Jane. "This is my daughter, Jane; she is eight. And my son, John, who is four," he began his introductions. Jane curtsied and you attempted to bow like your father had done and almost toppled over yourself. Your cheeks flushed bright red, but Lady Rowena smiled kindly at you and it made you feel a bit better. "And these two are Jake, seven, and Jade, six. They are wards of mine. Jade is a witch in training," Dad finished introducing. Jake and Jade bowed and curtsied, respectively, and you noted with a hint of satisfaction that they both botched the movements.

            Lady Rowena lit up excitedly. "Oh, a witch! My youngest, Rose, is very into magic. She has trouble with everything besides foresight, though. Still, I think she will be Derse's greatest Seer yet," she grinned. She glanced at King Ambrose again, who glanced back at her and raised one slim eyebrow at her, and again rolled her eyes and tilted to gesture to the children behind her. "This is Dirk, eight, my older daughter Roxy, seven, and my younger daughter Rose and Dave, both five. Dave, sweetheart, why are you wearing your cape?" she addressed the younger prince at the end of her introductions.

            The boy, Dave, gripped his cape even tighter. "I like my cape, Rowa..." he mumbled. She shook her head with a sigh and turned back to your father, who just chuckled and waved her off.

            "No need to be embarrassed; I understand how children can be. Besides, they've been through a terrible loss, so I don't blame the young man for wanting simple comforts," he grinned, sweeping his arm out towards the dinning hall. "You must all be starving, yes? Come, let's eat."

 

            Dad decided to seat everyone next to a guest. He mentioned to King Ambrose and Lady Rowena that it was traditional to seat the visiting king on the other end of the table, but he wanted to speak easier to them and so he let the Derse king sit on the end and sat to his right, with Lady Rowena on the king's left. Still, the young Derse leader did not speak, so most of the conversation was your father and Lady Rowena.

            Prince Dirk was seated next to Jake, and Jake easily talked the older prince's ear off. The orange eyed prince seemed not to mind, listening intently and nodding or commenting occasionally.

            Roxy and Jane were seated next to each other, and they spoke animatedly, laughing and telling stories like they had been besties forever. Rose and Jade sat next to each other and got along just as well as you would have thought, conversing about magic and other witchy (and seer-y?) things.

            And Dave sat next to you. The two of you were the farthest from the head of the table, and he gave Ambrose pleading eyes instead of speaking with you. Ambrose caught his eye and sharply shook his head, and Dave pouted and crossed his arms petulantly.

            "I like your cape," you spoke up awkwardly. It was a very nice cape, truly; it just looked awful with the rest of his ensemble. Dave glanced at you and then down at his food, reluctantly beginning to eat.

            "I like it, too. It's soft, and red. Red's my favorite color," he spoke simply.

            "Red's a nice color. Blue is my favorite," you replied back. Dave shrugged.

            "Blue's okay, I guess. It's the color of the sky, and of the ocean," he explained.

            "I like the ocean," you added. He shrugged again.

            "The ocean's okay."

            When the royal Derse family began preparations to leave, you felt like you were the only one who hadn't made a friend. You don't think Dave liked you very much...

            Before they departed the castle, Rose froze, staring unseeing at the floor with her brow furrowed. Her mother noticed and questioned her when Rose's attention returned, but she waved her mother off, glancing back at you. She ran back towards your family, stopping right in front of you.

            "What's wro-?" you began to ask.

            "You and Dave are gonna get married one day," she announced matter of factly, and then took off back towards her family. Your face went red, and despite her convictions you were doubtful of what she had said.

            ...Still, Dave _was_ very pretty.

 


	2. Thirteen Years Old

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rowena and James get married. John and Dave discuss the future

            The second time you met, you were thirteen and your father was getting married to Lady Rowena in the Derse kingdom.

            It wasn't much of a shock to you, since they had been corresponding for the past nine years, and her visits got more and more frequent until your father sat you, Jane, Jake, and Jade down and asked the four of you what you thought about him marrying her. She was nice! And very pretty. And you know your father loved her very much.

            Rowena looked every bit the part of a queen. Her dress was big and poofy and she laughed when you joked she could hide the entire Dersite castle staff under it. "Who knows, maybe I _am_ hiding the castle staff under there," she teased.

            "Yeah, but then they would see your underwear!" Jade pointed out, and Rowena laughed again and nodded.

            "Yes, I suppose you're right about that, aren't you?" she smiled warmly. It was odd seeing her lips painted anything other than black, but the rose pink lipstick suited her nicely. She kissed your forehead first, then Jade and Jake's, then Jane's. "I'm so happy you're letting me into your family," she told you gently, eyes soft. Jane had once said she reminded her of your mother, thought you can't say one way or the other because your mother died when you were born.

            The wedding was really nice, and Jane, Rowena, and your dad all teared up at different times during the reception. Afterwards, Rowena begged King Ambrose to make a speech. You were pretty interested in hearing the man speak. Finally, he sighed and stood up, clearing his throat.

            "So you've tied the knot. Congrats, I guess? Can I sit down now?" Ambrose asked, shattering any thoughts of regality you once thought he possessed. Dirk whispered fiercely at him and he sighed loudly. "Okay, uh, talk about our history. Rowena, you fucked my dad. Twice, at that. And somehow my mom knew and still liked you? I mean, I wondered where Rosie's witchy powers came from but damn, maybe I found out. Anyways, then some dickwad blew them up and you've been taking care of me and my brothers and that's cool, I guess. Thanks. And now you're hitched. So yeah. The end."

            There was silence for a long time after he sat down. Dad finally cleared his throat awkwardly and thanked Ambrose before quickly moving on. "Now you know why Rowa usually speaks for him," Dave muttered, leaning in towards you. You nodded with a snort and he gave you a tiny smile. "Wanna ditch these nerds and go for a walk? I'll give ya the grand tour or whatever," he offered.

            You immediately thought about the prophecy Rose had given you when you were a little kid. It had been, what? Nine years? And yet every so often you'd think about what she had said.

            " _You and Dave are gonna get married one day_."

            "Yeah, sure!" you grinned his way, inwardly tamping down the memory. It was not something to think about right now, anyways. You followed Dave, slipping away from the party.

            You and Dave wandered, telling stories and jokes and even sharing gossip. "Dirk totally has been crushing on Jake since he was eight, dude, I _swear_ ," Dave snickered, shaking his head. "He wanted to come work as a guard for Jake when he hit sixteen, but Bro told him he needed him to be the general for our army. Dirk's better at commanding soldiers anyways, though, so it worked out," he shrugged.

            "What's special about the age sixteen?" You inquired.

            "It's been a Strider tradition that when sixteen, any princes or princesses get work doing one thing or another. The family has been pretty lenient with the girls, because sexism I guess, but usually the boys lend their sword to someone. Bodyguards or knights or whatever," he explained.

            "Oh! Prospit pretty much does the opposite. At sixteen, we get a knight to protect us. Jane's knight is a really creepy guy. He probably should have been a jester or a bard or something? When she turns eighteen she can pick a new knight, and she's going to kick him to the curb as fast as she fucking can, I'll bet," you explained. "Also, what kind of name is _Gamzee_?" you added.

            Dave laughed, a real, genuine laugh, and your heart skipped a beat. "So you're gonna get a knight in a couple years, huh?" he smirked your way, and you shrugged and nodded.

            "Yep, I guess so. And you're gonna loan someone your sword?" Dave mimicked your reaction, and before you could think to shut yourself up you added, "maybe _you_ should be my knight."

            Dave turned to look at you with surprised red eyes, both eyebrows arching. "Are you serious?" he demanded. You blushed and mumbled incoherently as you scratched nervously at the back of your head. "Aw, is Prince John asking me to be his knight in shining armor?" he teased.

            "You'd be a pisspoor knight if your armor was shining," you commented instantly, and he rolled his eyes at you.

            "John? John, we're leaving!" you heard Jade calling, and you sighed.

            "I guess I should go," you told him. He nodded, seeming just as reluctant to let you go as you were to actually go. As you turned to leave, he grabbed your wrist.

            "Um, hey, I don't know if you were joking or not, but I would really like to be your knight, if you'd have me," he murmured, cheeks flushed. You opened your mouth to reply, but before you could, Jade was calling your name again.

            "John! There you are, dummy! We're all ready to leave except you!" she cried, approaching you. She glanced between you and Dave, lips curling into a sly smile. "Am I interrupting something here?" she asked playfully. Your whole face went red and you grabbed her and hurried off. Jade laughed loudly.

            As you began your journey back to Prospit, Jade grinned your way. "You know, I've been working on foresight lately. I can only seem to make it work when I'm watching the Prospit clouds, so far. I see the visions in the clouds, I mean. But guess what I've seen in them," she prompted.

            You gulped, wondering if you _wanted_ to know. "Wh-what?" you inquired of her despite your better judgement.

            "You and Dave get married~!" she sang, loud enough that Rose heard from her own seat.

            "You saw it too, huh?" she grinned, and the girls laughed while your face heated up until you felt like you were about to melt from embarrassment.

            "Th-that's crazy! Shut up!" you shouted, and the girls only laughed harder. You sulked the entire journey back to Prospit.

 


	3. Sixteen Years Old

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John gains a new knight for his sixteenth birthday, as per tradition.

            It was your sixteenth birthday when you saw him for the third time. Your father invited you into the throne room to meet your new knight. You were disappointed to see a grumpy ginger kneeling in front of you. "This is Sir Karkat Vantas," your father commented. The ginger teen, Karkat, scowled. You frowned back.

            "Um, Dad..." you began, but before you could voice your thoughts someone else burst into the throne room.

            "I OBJECT!" a familiar voice yelled, arms in the air. After all eyes were on him, the blonde dropped his arms and added, "oh wait, is that only for weddings? Well, whatever," he shrugged.

            "Dave!" Rowena shouted sternly. Dave approached easily, not seeming fazed.

            "Hiya, Rowa. Thought Rose would have warned you I would be here?" he smirked.

            "Actually, I was the one who told her, but I think she hoped I was wrong," Jade giggled.

            "Dave! What are you doing here??" you demanded, barely able to keep the happy laughter from your voice. Dave gave you one of his small, genuine smiles.

            "I told you, John. If you'll have me, I intend to be your knight," he explained. He glanced at Karkat as the latter rose from his kneeling spot on the floor. "Oh, hey, are we fighting to the death?" he added, hand going for the sword at his hip.

            "Fuck no, I'm leaving. I only offered my services because Jade convinced me to," he explained. Dave turned to Jade with an eyebrow raised. She shrugged.

            "I saw him in the vision," she explained.

            "Bullshit, you just wanted to humiliate me," Karkat sneered her way. She smirked back at him.

            "I do _love_ watching you squirm, Karkitty," she cooed. Karkat's cheeks flushed and he stormed out the doors. "He'll be back; he always comes back," she added.

            Dad looked a little confused, but he rolled with the punches anyways. "Alright, Sir Dave Strider of Derse. Please kneel and repeat after me," he ordered. Dave nodded, getting serious. He took out his sword and knelt with it in front of him.

            You were too ecstatic seeing Dave here, taking vows to be your knight, to actually listen to the vow being made. Once Dave had stood again, you turned to your dad. "Sooo, can I take my knight out on a test run into the marketplace?" you asked with a grin.

            Dad sighed and nodded. "Yes, yes, fine. Dave, do not let my son be harmed," he shot a warning Dave's way. Dave nodded firmly.

            "Wouldn't dream of it, King James," he agreed, gesturing you towards the door. You wandered around in the marketplace for hours. You passed by an elderly woman selling stuffed animals, pausing to pick up a small light brown stuffed bunny. "Whatcha got there?" Dave asked, tilting his head to scrutinize the stuffed animal. "It's cute. You want it?" he asked you.

            "Well, yeah, but it's $20 and I forgot to bring money," you sighed, going to set it down. Dave shook his head and reached into his back pocket.

            "John, it's your birthday. I'll buy you the bunny," he explained. You lit up like a Christmas tree, watching as he counted out the money for the vender. She smiled warmly at you.

            "Thank you kindly, Prince John. It's your birthday, isn't it? Please, take another stuffed friend. Free of charge, of course!" she offered. You gasped, trying to decline politely, but she insisted you take another.

            "Dave? Which one do you want?" you asked him, unwilling to get another one for yourself. Dave picked up a black crow stuffed animal, showing it to you for approval. You nodded appreciatively and the woman complimented his choice, thanking you again for your purchase. You thanked her as well and wandered off, deciding to head back to the castle. It _was_ very late, after all, and you were exhausted. Dave walked you to your quarters and stood nervously in front of them, holding his stuffed crow to his chest.

            "So, uh. Goodnight, I guess," he stated.

            "Goodnight," you murmured back quietly, hugging your birthday bunny.

            "Sweet dreams," he added, leaning in and kissing your forehead. You smiled pleasantly and watched him start to walk off.

            "U-um, Dave?" he paused instantly at your call, glancing over his shoulder. "Would... would you cuddle with me?" You asked, cheeks turning red. Dave blushed as well but nodded, following you into your bedroom. He averted his eyes while you changed into your pajamas, stripping off his own shirt and pants and climbing into bed beside you in just his boxers.

            "My clothes were dirty, is all," he explained quickly. You smirked at him and said nothing, just snuggling up against him. You fell asleep in his arms, feeling safe and warm and satisfied.

            Your father scolded you in the morning for sharing a bed with your knight, but it didn't stop you from repeating your actions the next night, or the night after, or every single night after. Your father can just _deal with it_.

 


	4. Eighteen Years Old

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the last chapter!

            You lost count of how many times you've seen the man, since you saw him every morning when you woke up and every night when you went to bed.

            When you were eighteen, it was no surprise that you kept Dave on as your knight. As was tradition, he took you down to the marketplace for your birthday, trailing behind you as you perused the vendors' wares.

            As you were taking a look at these neat wooden knickknacks, Dave leaned in to whisper in your ear. "I'll be right back, babe," he told you, kissing your cheek before disappearing into the crowd.

            You shrugged, continuing to peruse. You could handle yourself for a few minutes alone, of course. You didn't need Dave hovering every second. Dave returned to you not long after, smiling to himself. "What? What did you get?" you asked him. He shook his head.

            "I'll tell you later," he assured. You sighed dramatically but let it go.

            When you returned to the castle, he grabbed your arm and led you off towards the royal gardens instead. You shrugged and held his hand as you wandered among the many beautiful flowers. Jade planted most of these plants, you thought to yourself. She loved to garden.           

            You stopped at the huge fountain in the middle of the gardens, and that was when Dave knelt. You opened your mouth to voice your confusion, but the question quickly died in your throat when you watched him pull a little box out of his pocket.

            He opened up the box to reveal two golden rings, one with a ruby and one with a sapphire gem. He took out the ruby one and gently took your hand. "John, will you marry me?" he asked.

            You nodded dumbly, at a loss for words. He slipped the ring onto your finger and stood, and you took the box from him and grabbed the other ring. "Will _you_ marry _me_ , Dave?" you returned the question, holding his hand much like he had to you.

            "I can't believe you're proposing to me with the ring _I_ bought," he countered, and you laughed and put the ring with the sapphire gem on the appropriate finger before wrapping your arms around him and hugging him tightly.

            "I love you so much, Dave," you whispered. He buried his face in your hair.

            "I love you too, John," he mumbled back reverently.

            "I guess Rose and Jade were right," you commented, and Dave pulled back to give you a confused look.

            "What? Right about what?" he inquired. You furrowed your brow, frowning.

            "They... they never told you?" you countered. His frown mimicked yours.

            "Told me what?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone wants a sequel of their wedding, comment and tell me! If enough people ask, I'll write it!
> 
> EDIT: the sequel is out! my boys tie the knot!

**Author's Note:**

> [ Johndaveweek 2017 calendar link ](http://johndaveweek.tumblr.com/post/161303277014)


End file.
